Cascadia

5. You Can't Go Home Again

Keana felt as if she hadn't slept for more than a couple of minutes before the call of an obnoxious rooster broke through her dreams and forced her awake. She pulled her pillow over her face and tried to ignore it, but it was a useless endeavor. That rooster would not shut up! Frustrated and resigned to a long day with very little sleep, Keana sat up and surveyed her surroundings. It took her a moment to remember she had spent the night in the little old lady's cabin.

As she looked around, she realized she was alone. Gabby's bed had been neatly made, but the old woman was nowhere to be seen. It seemed she had gone out and taken her pet goose along with her. Keana couldn't recall having heard anyone leaving during her restless sleep, but perhaps she had been sleeping deeper than she'd originally thought. So why was she still so tired?

Keana stuffed her cigarettes, lighter, and various protective crystals back into her pockets and pulled on her shoes, lacing them up tightly. She moved to the front door and yanked it open, allowing the light of dawn to wash over her. Looking out at a rich green of thick vegetation, she attempted to figure out where the hell she was now that she could see clearly. Everything looked familiar and yet, at the same time, nothing looked familiar, the way things so often did out in the woods.

The creaking of old, rusty hinges drew Keana's attention to a rickety building a short walk from the cabin. Gabby emerged from the entrance wearing a sarafan dress, her signature head scarf, and carrying an enormous jar of buckwheat in her arms.

"Good morning, dear," the old woman called out. "Did you sleep well?"

"Dead to the world," Keana lied.

Gabby expressed a peculiar look as she shuffled past Keana, through the cabin door, and straight into the kitchen area to begin preparation of what she proclaimed were the 'best blinis in the whole state!'

Keana remained outside, taking a seat upon the bench swing while listening to the birds make a racket from somewhere up in the trees. Using the sun as a guide, she tried to determine the direction of Elysium. She would need to go back soon, she decided, but the hunger pains were impossible to ignore. Maybe after breakfast, she thought. As long as there aren't any maggots in it this time.

Gabby stepped out onto the porch bearing two ceramic cups filled with a steaming breakfast tea blend. She handed one to Keana before taking a seat beside her on the swinging bench.

"We sure are lucky to live amongst so much beauty," the old woman said. "It truly is God's country. Have you lived up here long?"

"Born and raised. My mom works the farm over at Elysium."

"That's the name of your farm, is it? Hmm. You certainly get a lot of visitors up there, don't you?"

Keana offered a smile. "We get our fair share. It's an open community. We welcome anyone willing to contribute. There's enough work to go around, that's for sure."

"That's nice, dear. It's good to hear there are still folks willing to work hard in this day and age. What about your father? Is he a farmer as well?"

Keana looked down at her feet with a shrug. "I don't know. I've never met him."

Gabby frowned. "How unfortunate. Every girl should have a father."

Silence fell over them. Keana often wondered about her father – who he was and what he was like. Had he been one of Sunflower's long-forgotten lovers? Some random drifter passing through the night? Sunflower never spoke of him and, at her insistence, no one else spoke of him either. Anytime Keana had tried to inquire about who he might be, the subject was quickly and skillfully changed so that her questions always went unanswered.